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September 2012 PDF | previous editions
Release Date: September 27, 2012

Table 11.3 Methane Emissions, 1980-2009 (Million Metric Tons of Methane)

Table 11.3 Methane Emissions, 1980-2009
(Million Metric Tons of Methane)

Year

Energy Sources

Waste Management

Agricultural Sources

Industrial
Processes ⁹

Total ⁵

Coal
Mining

Natural
Gas
Systems ¹

Petroleum
Systems ²

Mobile
Com-
bustion ³

Stationary
Com-
bustion ⁴

Total ⁵

Landfills

Waste-
water
Treatment ⁶

Total ⁵

Enteric
Fermen-
tation ⁷

Animal
Waste ⁸

Rice
Cultivation

Crop
Residue
Burning

Total ⁵

1980

3.06

4.42

0.28

0.45

8.20

10.52

0.52

11.04

5.47

2.87

0.48

0.04

8.86

0.17

28.27

1981

2.81

5.02

.27

.45

8.55

10.69

.53

11.22

5.56

2.73

.54

.05

8.88

.18

28.82

1982

3.23

5.04

.27

.46

9.01

10.63

.54

11.17

5.50

2.63

.47

.05

8.65

.13

28.97

1983

3.02

5.00

.27

.46

8.76

10.67

.54

11.21

5.46

2.68

.31

.04

8.49

.15

28.62

1984

3.61

5.11

.27

.48

9.46

10.68

.66

11.33

5.33

2.60

.40

.05

8.38

.16

29.34

1985

3.89

5.16

.26

.48

9.79

10.65

.67

11.32

5.27

2.56

.36

.05

8.23

.15

29.49

1986

3.73

5.04

.26

.46

9.48

10.53

.67

11.20

5.13

2.51

.34

.04

8.02

.16

28.87

1987

4.01

5.14

.25

.43

9.85

10.63

.68

11.31

5.08

2.56

.33

.04

8.02

.17

29.34

1988

3.94

5.29

.25

.46

9.95

10.51

.69

11.20

5.10

2.60

.41

.05

8.14

.18

29.47

1989

3.96

5.46

.25

.48

10.15

10.43

.70

11.13

5.08

1.68

.38

.05

7.18

.18

28.64

1990

4.07

5.78

1.30

.22

.37

11.72

10.31

.91

11.23

5.58

1.59

.40

.05

7.62

.18

30.75

1991

4.09

6.00

1.31

.21

.37

11.98

10.00

.93

10.93

5.61

1.64

.40

.05

7.69

.19

30.78

1992

4.05

6.07

1.26

.20

.38

11.97

9.84

.95

10.79

5.77

1.68

.45

.05

7.95

.19

30.90

1993

3.29

6.03

1.21

.20

.36

11.08

9.58

.96

10.54

5.77

1.73

.41

.04

7.96

.20

29.77

1994

3.35

6.08

1.17

.19

.35

11.15

9.25

.98

10.23

5.90

1.81

.48

.05

8.23

.21

29.82

1995

3.31

6.17

1.16

.20

.35

11.20

8.62

1.00

9.61

5.96

1.84

.44

.05

8.28

.22

29.31

1996

3.30

6.20

1.14

.20

.36

11.20

8.19

1.01

9.19

5.95

1.84

.41

.05

8.25

.22

28.87

1997

3.28

6.47

1.14

.20

.33

11.42

7.45

1.02

8.47

5.72

1.91

.45

.05

8.13

.23

28.26

1998

3.29

6.45

1.11

.19

.30

11.34

6.80

1.03

7.83

5.65

1.97

.47

.05

8.14

.23

27.54

1999

3.11

6.47

1.04

.18

.31

11.11

6.21

1.05

7.25

5.64

1.97

.50

.05

8.16

.24

26.76

2000

2.98

6.77

1.03

.17

.33

11.27

5.93

1.05

6.98

5.60

1.96

.44

.05

8.05

.22

26.53

2001

2.97

6.59

1.03

.16

.30

11.05

5.65

1.05

6.70

5.53

1.98

.47

.05

8.02

.20

25.97

2002

2.79

6.90

1.02

.15

.30

11.16

5.58

1.06

6.64

5.54

1.99

.44

.05

8.03

.21

26.03

2003

2.79

6.86

1.01

.14

.31

11.11

5.97

1.06

7.03

5.61

2.00

.43

.05

8.08

.20

26.43

2004

2.86

6.93

.96

.14

.31

11.20

5.80

1.07

6.88

5.62

2.02

.47

.05

8.16

.22

26.46

2005

2.81

6.91

.92

.13

.32

11.08

6.02

1.08

7.09

5.71

2.18

.46

.05

8.40

.20

26.77

2006

2.86

7.00

.91

.12

.30

11.19

6.18

1.10

7.27

5.77

2.25

.39

.05

8.47

.20

27.14

2007

2.84

7.26

.90

.12

.31

11.43

6.40

1.11

7.51

5.80

2.24

.39

.05

8.49

.21

27.64

2008

3.28

7.37

.88

.11

.33

11.97

6.90

1.12

8.02

5.93

2.37

.43

.05

8.79

.18

28.97

2009

3.44

7.32

.94

.11

.31

12.12

7.19

1.12

8.31

5.80

2.33

.45

.06

8.64

.17

29.24

¹Natural gas production, processing, and distribution; processing is not included in 1980 and is
incompletely covered in 1981�1989.

⁸Estimation methods for 1990 forward reflect a shift in waste management away from liquid systems to
dry-lot systems, thus lowering emissions.

²Petroleum production, refining, and distribution.

⁹Chemical production, and iron and steel production.

³Emissions from passenger cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, and other transport.

NA=Not available.

⁴Consumption of coal, petroleum, natural gas, and wood for heat or electricity.

Notes:  �  Data for this table are not available for 2010.  �  Emissions are from anthropogenic sources.
"Anthropogenic" means produced as the result of human activities, including emissions from agricultural
activity and domestic livestock.  Emissions from natural sources, such as wetlands and wild animals, are
not included.  �  Under certain conditions, methane may be produced via anaerobic decomposition of
organic materials in landfills, animal wastes, and rice paddies.  �  Totals may not equal sum of components
due to independent rounding.

⁵See notes on components for specific coverage, which is inconsistent prior to 1990 in some cases.

Web Page: For related information, see http://www.eia.gov/environment/.

⁶1980�1983, domestic wastewater only; 1984 forward, industrial and domestic wastewater.

Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United
States 2009 (March 2011), Tables 17�21; and EIA estimates based on the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change's Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2006 and revised 1996
guidelines)�see http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/gl/invs6.html; and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990�2008 (April 2010)�see
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html.

⁷Methane emitted as a product of digestion in animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, and swine.

U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

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